Lakhanda Group

Lakhanda Group
Stratigraphic range: 1000-1030 Ma
Type	Group
Underlies	Ui Group
Overlies	Kerpyl' Group
Thickness	~420 m
Location
Region	Sakha Republic
Country	Russia

The Lakhanda Group is a group of late Mesoproterozoic formations from Siberia. It contains several of the earliest eukaryotes which can be placed into modern groups, including the earliest xanthophyte algae, fungi and possibly even the first animals. ^[1]

Paleobiota

Color key Taxon Reclassified taxon Taxon falsely reported as present Dubious taxon or junior synonym Ichnotaxon Ootaxon Morphotaxon		Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; crossed out taxa are discredited.

Paleobiota

Paleobiota
Genus	Species	Notes	Images
Palaeovaucheria	P. clavata	Filamentous xanthophyte alga. [2]
Aimonema	A. ramosa	Filamentous fungus, possibly within Ascomycota. May be related to nematophagous fungi, and may even have had a similar lifestyle due to possible worm-like fossils also being found in Lakhanda. [3]
Mucorites	M. ripheicus	Fungal zygospores, possibly within Mucorales? [4]
Eosaccharomyces	E. ramosus	Fungal fossils, likely related to modern yeast. [4]
Mycosphaeroides	M. aggregatus	Material consists of amoeboid aggregations and individual cells, the genus is likely related to Myxomycetes. [4]
Fungi indet.	Unapplicable	Similar to the Canadian Ourasphaira [1]
Rugosoopsis	R. tenuis	Possible vermiform animal, earliest record of Animalia if this is true. [5]
Porifera? indet.	Unapplicable	Microfossils similar to sponges (more specifically members of Hexactinellida), found on numerous other taxa from the site. [6]
Lomentunella	L. vaginata	Multicellular alga, similar to the modern Ulothrix . [7]
Palmella	P. sp	Enigmatic fossil [7]
Eosolena	E. anisocyta E. loculosa	Enigmatic filamentous fossil, member of the clade Eosolenides [8]
Elatera	E. binata E. rotundata E. unistriata	Enigmatic filamentous fossil, member of the clade Eosolenides [8]
Itirinda	I. insueta I. decliva I. saccata I. renaria	Enigmatic budding fossil, claimed to have affinities to hydrozoan polyps [9]
Caudosphaera	C. expansa	Sporangium-like fossil [1]
Germinosphaera	G. bispinosa	Sporangium-like fossil [1]
Jacutinema	J. solubila	Sporangium-like fossil [1]
Siphonophycus	S. typicus S. kestron	Cyanobacteria [7]
Polytrichoides	P. lineatus	Cyanobacteria [7]
Palaeolyngbya	P. sp	Cyanobacteria [7]
Chuaria	C. sp	Widespread enigmatic fossil [7]
Lakhandia	L. sp	Acritarch [7]
Trachyhystricosphaera	T. aimika	Acritarch [7]
Majasphaeridium	M. lakhandinium M. carpogenum	Acritarch [9]
Radiatosphaera	R. solida R. glumacea	Acritarch [9]
Cypandinia	C. supracomposita	Acritarch [9]
Valeria	V. lophostriata	Acritarch [1]
Fabiformis	F. porosus	Colonial microbes, possibly bacteria? [7]

References

1. Shuvalova, J. V.; Nagovitsin, K. E.; Duda, J.-P.; Parkhaev, P. Yu. (September 2021). "Early Eukaryotes in the Lakhanda Biota (Mesoproterozoic, Southeastern Siberia)—Morphological and Geochemical Evidence". Doklady Biological Sciences. 500 (1): 127–132. doi:10.1134/S0012496621050100.
2. Butterfield, Nicholas J. (June 2004). "A vaucheriacean alga from the middle Neoproterozoic of Spitsbergen: implications for the evolution of Proterozoic eukaryotes and the Cambrian explosion". Paleobiology. 30 (2): 231–252. doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2004)030<0231:AVAFTM>2.0.CO;2.
3. Hermann, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (July 2010). "A discovery of riphean heterotrophs in the Lakhanda group of Siberia". Paleontological Journal. 44 (4): 374–383. doi:10.1134/S0031030110040027.
4. Hermann, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (March 2006). "Fungal remains from the Late Riphean". Paleontological Journal. 40 (2): 207–214. doi:10.1134/S0031030106020122.
5. Hermann, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (January 2007). "Rugosoopsis : a new group of Upper Riphean animals". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 286 (1): 429–431. doi:10.1144/SP286.34.
6. German, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (May 2012). "Records of a new spongelike group in the Riphean biota". Paleontological Journal. 46 (3): 219–227. doi:10.1134/S0031030112030069.
7. German, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (May 2011). "The role of cyanobacteria in the assemblage of the Lakhanda Microbiota". Paleontological Journal. 45 (3): 320–332. doi:10.1134/S0031030111020079.
8. German, Tamara N.; Podkovyrov, Victor N. (September 2009). "New insights into the nature of the Late Riphean Eosolenides". Precambrian Research. 173 (1–4): 154–162. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2009.03.018.
9. Hermann, T. N.; Podkovyrov, V. N. (2002). "On the Finds of Riphean Dimorphic Organisms" (PDF). Paleontological Journal. 36 (3): 231–239.